Holiday Blues
by NakanoHana
Summary: Cute little short for my favorite pairing. Axel's not having the best Christmas, and neither are a certain pair a blond angels. But a chance meeting may be enough to turn their problems around and give them the Merry Christmas they've been looking for
1. Chapter 1

Just getting over finals and a particularly bad cold. Sorry for those of you waiting on baited breath for the conclusion to _**La Belle et la Bête, **_but I'll get to that soon. My muse is going all over the place right now, which, as a result, has caused this sweet little Christmas story I'm writing for Xmas 2010 to come into being. Two chapters only, fairly short, but will hopefully warm hearts and stir up good old holiday cheer. And to everyone of every religion, race, gender, etc., be safe and have a wonderful winter and year to come! :)

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This was not Axel's idea of an ideal Christmas. Walking back to his apartment through a cold alley, alone on Christmas Eve night. True, it was snowing for once, and the redhead was all for the traditional white Christmas. But couldn't it have waited until he got inside?

Couples and families passed by on the streets beside him, arms wrapped around each other sighing contently as the little children skipped and played in the snow. A couple of older boys had begun throwing snowballs at the street light, but quickly turned their attentions to each other. Axel growled as he was assailed walking past.

"Beat it, brats! Scram, before I chuck something at you!"

The smaller of the boys responded with a mature wag of his tongue before being pulled along by his friends. They glared as he walked past, and Axel sneered briefly at the thought. How _dare _he go harshing their Christmas vibes?

_Please... I bet at least two of em are Jewish..._

There was something about the holidays that Axel always found decidedly un-Christmasy. It was supposed to be a time of giving and love and joy; a time to help and care for loved ones and those in need, and just spend time together under an old, dead, prickly, yet somehow still lovely and heartwarming tree. He saw a bit of that, here and there, and to be honest it wasn't the commercialization of the holiday that got him so riled. Present buying, as vain and frivolous as it might seem to those smarmy intellectuals out there, was actually good for the economy. And all griping aside, who doesn't love stuff?

It was the people. Axel groaned internally at the thought of them. Yes, the people. The long lines, the bustling malls and supermarkets; the shoving, the scratching, the biting. Reckless drivers on the road seemed to go downright insane at Christmas time, what with everyone rushing to buy things, going to work, driving mini vans full of screaming, giggling kids to go see bad 3-D movies no one really wants to see. Like that Yogi Bear movie...Yes, you heard right.

_It's never been more obvious that Hollywood is running low on ideas..._

But yes. Something about the season drove people completely nuts. Not to mention there _is _the hypocrisy in it all. The general public celebrates the birth of a man who encouraged us to help the poor and love others, and here we are: fighting to buy the perfect trees and lights and decorations and sitting on our butts watching Christmas specials inside.

Axel's overall Christmas blues were a little less complicated than that, though. No one had time to spend with him this year. His parents had forgone the holiday rush and craziness and just decided to take a luxury cruise in the tropics. Like _Christmas with the Kranks _but minus the posturing and bashing on and by the neighbors. Reno, his older brother, was spending Christmas with his buddies from work, and his little sister Kairi was staying with Sora, Riku, and Namine. And no, she said he couldn't come, even though technically Riku and Sora were his friends first and had offered him the guest room.

Demyx was enjoying the holidays with his new boyfriend, Zexion, and trying to wrap his tiny mind around the wonders of Hanukkah. Having been blind to all other winter holidays before, the mullet-haired musician was immediately entranced and intrigued by it, willing to listen to everything Zexion was willing to tell him about it. Axel had the sneaking suspicion at first that part of that wonder and excitement was just a ploy to get in his pants, but no; Demyx was pretty sincere about his interest, and his boyfriend was content to explain, though not nearly as energetic as he was.

That left Axel alone. On Christmas Eve. It sucked to the nth degree, and he was just about to go break down Riku's door despite Kairi, but thought better of it in the end. They really didn't _need_another person to cook and clean for, for as much as Sora and Riku cleaned at all. It'd just be more space and air taken up, and Axel knew that, as a couple at Christmas time, Sora and Riku would want a little space. And damn it, he was _not _going to be stuck with his air-headed baby sister and her giggling friend all through the holiday!

So here he was. Leaving work early that night, dressed in a simple but warm, snug green overcoat; black earmuffs, gloves, and pants to go with it. Warm enough outside but not feeling so hot on the inside.

_God, I wish I had a date..._

While his thoughts were off and wandering, he noticed only a moment too late that a small boy had tried to run in front of him, bumping and sending them both back onto the cold snowy ground. Axel grimaced as he felt his butt hit the wet pavement, soaking through his work pants, and immediately glared up at the offender.

"Hey, kid! Watch where the hell you're going!"

As a small, trembling head looked up, Axel had to pause a moment to observe the kid closely. He was truly a tiny little thing, and he looked small and thin more so because he wasn't dressed appropriately at all for the weather. Ratty, somewhat dirty-looking clothes; wet now too from the snow. The wearer of these was a pale skinned blond boy with incredibly blue eyes. Lost in them for a moment, Axel was sure he never saw even the clearest sky look that deep and beautiful.

Finally noticing his trembling, the redhead realized that the boy looked like he was about to cry. Perhaps he was cold too, but for now, feeling a bit bad for yelling at the poor little thing, Axel immediately began fumbling. Crying was one thing he didn't want to deal with now.

"Hey, kid, look. It's okay, alright? I wasn't looking where I was going either. Please don't cry..." He strode over and helped the child to his feet, dusting off the white powder that was settling in his hair and clothes.

The boy, who couldn't possibly be older than six, rubbed one of his blue, blue eyes and sniffled loudly.

"Sorry, mister...I-I was..."

Axel smiled kindly, feeling his heart melt at those cute, teary sapphires.

"Hey, it's alright, kid. Don't sweat it." With an air of concern, he added, "Are you lost?"

The spiky blond head nodded, looking down then to probably hide his spilling tears from the stranger's eyes.

"It's my brother...I can't f-find him..."

Axel cocked his head slightly to the side. "Do you want some help?"

The boy looked a bit wary at that, but seeming to consider his options for a moment, he seemed to conclude that that was his best ichance. Much calmer than before, and with a small suspicious glance, he turned back to Axel.

"I dunno. Big brother says I shouldn't go with strangers..." Then he pointed to Axel's long, spiky red hair and barely visible tear drop tattoos. "And you're the strangest one I've ever seen!"

Axel barked a laugh at this, patting the boy on the shoulder despite his shrinking away slightly.

"Well, I can certainly fix one of those. My name's Axel. I'm a marketing major from NYU and my favorite beer is Sam Adams. Now you know, and knowing is half the battle!" He then gave a small salute and flashed his winning smile.

The little blond giggled softly, and Axel was surprised to find it almost unbearably adorable. That was...strange. Usually he hated kids of all shapes and sizes, especially the loud crybaby ones. Even though he was lost and more than a little afraid, though, this boy didn't really seem that annoying or that prone to crying. Having only known him for a few minutes, however, Axel wasn't ready to conclude that just yet.

"My name's Ventus, but Big Brother calls me Ven. I'm five years old, and uh..." He scratched his little head for a minute, thinking. "...Oh! I like apple juice!" He then saluted back, a little more over exaggerated than Axel's.

Axel chuckled at that, ruffling the small boy's hair softly. "Good to know! Wouldn't want to be going around with some strange kid, now would I?"

Ven grinned widely and shook his head. He then accepted the gloved hand offered to him, entwining his pale, cold little fingers with Axel's, and together, with new-found gusto and smiles, the pair made their way down the street in search of the missing older brother...

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"So, where did you lose this brother of yours?"

The two of them stood stopped at a small coffee shop on the street corner; Axel ordered a coffee to warm himself up and offered a mug of hot chocolate to Ven. As he suspected, the boy couldn't say no to chocolate, or warmth for that matter, so the two of them stopped in and sat at a small booth near the back, watching as other customers came and went at the front.

Ven looked up from his hot chocolate, his cute, wide eyes seeming to pierce Axel to his very core.

"H-He's supposed to be home from work soon. He works so hard and so long all the time, I thought he'd be back earlier for Christmas..."

The redhead winced faintly. He could sympathize with the holiday blues.

"He told me never to leave the apartment by myself, but I...I just got so tired of waiting! I didn't want to be by myself anymore! So I went out to find the post office and then I...I-I got lost..."

Sensing the oncoming tears, Axel quickly moved to soothe the distraught blond, whispering reassurances of help and care and patting his head comfortingly. It was a wonder why he cared so much about this little boy he'd just met, but Axel was a firm believer that no one should be alone or crying on Christmas. What was his older brother thinking, leaving him like that?

"Here now," he said simply, pushing the hot chocolate closer to Ven. "Drink some more of this. It'll make you feel better."

Ven crossed his arms and pouted, looking away. "No it won't..."

"Yes it will. Chocolate makes everything better!...Except for tragic loss, weight gain, and diabetes, but that's beside the point."

When Ven still refused to drink more, Axel shrugged. "Alright. I guess I'll have to drink it then, before it gets cold..." With that, he began drinking, smirking to himself as he saw indignant blue eyes snap back to him almost instantly.

"Hey, that's mine! Give it back!"

"Technically it's mine, because I bought it." He answered smugly, ignoring the childish glare. "Beside, isn't Christmas about sharing with those in need?"

"You got your own coffee!" Ven whined pathetically.

Seeing him pouting again and taking pity on the little blond, Axel returned the chocolate to him and watched, amused, as he gulped the whole thing down rather quickly. Ven smiled contently as the warmth filled him up, and once he sat back, the boy's eyes quickly began to droop, and his face was flushed a light pink in the air of the warm coffee shop. He looked to be getting quite tired now, as he curled up and hugged his legs to him in the booth, and as Axel glanced at the clock on the wall it read close to 7:30. It was much later than he'd thought...

Taking another sip of his coffee, the redhead then tried, "Do you know how to get back to where you live? Or maybe which post office your brother works at?"

The sleepy blond head shook no, but just as he turned to think of something else, Axel looked over to see a new, rather familiar looking customer enter the shop. And, ignoring everything else in the place, this figure came rushing directly to their table, stopping only a minute to hunch and catch his breath. Axel gasped and Ven squealed with childish delight.

The boy in front of them looked like an exact copy of Ventus.

"Roxas!"


	2. Chapter 2

Ven sprang onto his older brother instantly, ignoring the choking cough as his thin little arms wrapped around the young man's stomach in a death grip.

"Big brother! You found me!"

The older blond, now identified as Roxas, sank to his knees on the floor and released a heavy sigh of relief. He then began inspecting the small boy worriedly, his voice stern and serious.

"Thank God you're alright. What were you thinking, Ven? Didn't I tell you never to leave the apartment by yourself?" He cupped his brother's face in his hands and bought his head up to meet his eyes. "You could have been kidnapped or hurt! How could I live with myself if something happened to you?"

The little boy frowned and pushed the hands away firmly. "But I missed you! You were gone so long, and nothing happened to me! Axel helped me! I was good, wasn't I Axel?"

The redhead smiled when the question turned to him, but quickly frowned, noticing Roxas's suspicious glare thrown his way. Observing this full-sized blond cutie before him, he most certainly didn't want a supposed kidnapping to be his first impression.

"Hi," he said casually, getting up and offering his hand to the young man. "You must be Roxas. My name is Axel; I found Ven wandering out on the streets in the snow and stopped to see if he needed some help."

The older blond's expression softened a little at that, but he still seemed a bit wary. He shook the hand and stood up, cradling Ven against his shoulder with one arm. In the low light of the shop, Axel realized that Roxas looked to be a bit older than he had first guessed. It now seemed that, instead of a late teen, he was probably somewhere in his early to mid twenties.

_Perfect..._

"I can't thank you enough for taking care of him. He's really quite a handful sometimes, I swear."

Axel chuckled along with him, noticing now that Roxas seemed a little more subdued. Now that the worry was gone from his face, his smile didn't seem to reach his eyes very well. His posture was a little slouched, mingling with his sad eyes to create an overall air of defeat. Despite finding his brother, this man didn't seem to be feeling all that festive either.

Axel watched him for a moment then, listening to him as he argued with his little brother. He had bags under his eyes; not deep ones, but heavy enough to be noticeable in low light. His blond spikes were even more disheveled than Ven's, and his clothes, while nicer looking, still looked old and a bit ratty, though far less dirty. A little casual too; Axel vaguely thought to himself that whatever job Roxas had at the post office probably wasn't fancy and definitely wasn't paying that much. That would explain why the blond couldn't afford to hire a babysitter.

Through his wandering first impressions, the redhead caught a bit of the conversation between his two new friends.

"I didn't misbehave! I was a good boy!" Ven said firmly, smiling defiantly with stubborn, childish pride.

"I'm sure you were, Ven, but you still scared me half to death! Why did you have to run off, tonight of all nights?"

Roxas brought a hand to his head, sighing in frustration, and Axel felt his urge to pry overcoming his overall desire to make a great impression.

"Tough day at the office?"

The young man turned to him quickly, looking a little startled by his sudden intrusion. After a moment he sighed again and simply sat down in the booth, dropping a squirming, giggling Ven into the seat beside him.

"I'll say. Is there some way I can repay you for your help? How about I buy you a drink?" Roxas then began digging for his wallet when a large, warm hand stopped him.

"It was no trouble. And no, I'm fine, but I'll buy you one. Looks like you could use it."

Roxas groaned softly, but relented all the same, and soon the two were sitting in the booth chatting away, Roxas with his hot chocolate and Axel watching with his head rested gently on his hands. He chuckled at the sight of Roxas giving some of his drink to Ven, thinking how adorable it was that both blonds seemed to be soothed by the chocolate. Roxas smiled a little more now, as he sipped his drink, and Ven returned to falling asleep on the seat, bored to death by the adult conversation.

"So your boss really fired you on Christmas Eve?" The idea seemed repulsive to Axel, and he boiled a little thinking about it. Roxas simply nodded and looked down into his drink, sighing again.

"It's a hectic time of the year, I know, but for some reason he thought I wasn't doing that much in the mailroom. Which is absurd. I'm the only one in the back who actually takes my job seriously. My boss was kind of a jerk, but I need that job to pay my rent for this month." Glancing sideways at the now dozing little boy beside him, his brother looked miserable. "I don't even have enough for a tree this year. It makes me sad because I know how much he looks forward to it."

Roxas ran a hand through his brother's hair lovingly, a sad smile gracing his pale lips.

"I miss the days when I believed in Santa Claus."

Axel, needless to say, felt more depressed than he had before. He bit his lip and thought for a moment, processing all this information. Roxas and Ventus were orphans, but Roxas was old enough to be his brother's legal guardian, and worked a crummy little job in the post office just trying to keep bread on the table for both of them. He genuinely felt bad for the two of them, and not just because Roxas and Ven were the cutest little things he'd ever seen...

"Why don't the two of you come and stay with me for Christmas?"

The idea was blurted out so suddenly, so randomly, that Roxas jumped a little in his seat. He raised two ridiculously blue eyes to meet Axel's; they were clouded with confusion, but also maybe a little hope?

"What did you say?"

Axel smiled wider, thinking about how perfect this was turning out. There was a tree back at his house, though he hadn't felt much like decorating it this season. It was a little dry from his constant forgetting to water it, but it would do.

"You heard me," he said, leaning forward on one arm and smiling seductively. "Come to my house. I'll give you and Ven the best Christmas ever, garuanteed!"

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Less than a half an hour later, the three figures approached Axel's little abode on Flurry Street; Ven riding, comfortably dozing, on his brother's shoulders. Roxas had protested politely, blushing (Axel had been pleasantly surprised to witness) and arguing that they'd be imposing too much on his hospitality. But the redhead wouldn't have it; he insisted, begging more than any grown man should and pulling the "lonely" card for added sympathy. Roxas was quickly moved, and everything was settled. They entered the house and began setting up for Christmas.

Putting Ven to bed upstairs, Roxas turned to his host curiously.

"Where can we possibly get presents? It's Christmas Eve!"

Axel strode over quietly and wrapped an arm around his waist, smiling warmly.

"You forget, my dear Roxy; the whole world isn't made up of christians, you know." When the blond raised an eyebrow, blushing lightly again, he chuckled.

"Follow me."

They ran out and found a few stores still open. Axel had been right; the whole world didn't shut down for Christmas. Axel bought toys and decorations, everything he could find; nothing was too much for him and his well-off family. Roxas complained that it wasn't being fair, but the redhead just laughed and ruffled his hair, much like he had with Ven. Roxas was too cute, like a taller version of Ven, and he was just as stubborn...until Axel talked him out of it. It was amazing how naturally the two connected. It was as if they'd been friends for a long, long time...

The two returned home and "went to sleep," but Axel got up and moved about stealthily, setting up decorations and wrapping presents. He moved like a ninja in the night, stringing lights and holy and pine along the stair railing and fireplace, hanging old ornaments from times long past on the tree in his living room. It was long, hard work, but oh so worth it, as he imagined the smiles it would bring Christmas Day. Ven would be so excited, and Roxas...he would believe in Santa Claus again! Axel was determined; he would believe in the spirit of Christmas!

When all was done, the sun was barely starting to peak over the horizon, shining a soft, slowly growing light on the world outside. With a deep yawn and the crack of his back, Axel flopped down on his couch and faded quickly off to sleep, too tired to even dream of a white Christmas...

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"AXEL! AXEL, GET UP! GET UP! GET UP! GET UP!"

"Gah!" A heavy weight dropped onto his chest, crushing him and blasting in his ears with excited cries. Axel woke with a painful start, only to find two huge sapphires blinking up at him, growing wider still with joy and wonder.

"IT'S CHRISTMAS!" the little blond ball of energy shouted, and for a split second, Axel, in his daze, swore Roxas was the one assaulting him so violently. "GET UP! HURRY! SANTA CAME!"

Satisfied, Ven unlatched his arms from Axel's waist quickly and slid off his lap, running back over to the tree and hopping up and down like he was on a sugar high. It vaguely reminded him of Sora, who was well known in Axel's group of friends as the relentless ball of energy. As the redhead groaned and sat up slowly, he caught sight of a pair of equally blue orbs gazing at him from behind a corner. They were soft, weakly apologetic.

"I told him we would wait until you woke up, but..." He looked over at Ven and sighed heavily, a helpless smile crossing his face now. "He's never been very good at waiting..."

Axel forced a smile which quickly took on a life of its own. He could see the wonder and excitement in Ven's eyes, as he danced around the tree and whispered his worship to Santa. Just that alone would make him feel warm inside.

But then there was Roxas. He came out from around the corner, his clothes and hair messy from sleep, a new, refreshed look in his eye. He admired all the decorations and presents with a more subdued awe, but it was definitely there. Axel knew he was pleasantly surprised, and even though he couldn't solve all of this family's troubles then and there, he was glad to even do something this small.

The smile that shone in Roxas's eyes was more precious to him than any Christmas present could ever be.

"Are you up nooooowwwww?" Ven whined, coming back and tugging on his pant leg. "Come on! I want to see what Santa brought!"

Axel laughed and ruffled his golden curls, kneeling beside the tree on the floor. "Alright kid. Let's dish out these presents!"

Overall, Ven was pleased, He played with his new toys under the soft glow of the Christmas tree, laughing as pine needles tickled his nose. Axel and Roxas left him thus preoccupied and went into the small adjacent kitchen, working together to make something nice and big for breakfast.

"How would you feel about home-made Belgium waffles?"

"Oh, I love those!" Roxas cried, watching Axel pull the mix and iron from the pantry. "My mom made those for me when I was little!"

His voice was happy, longing, and Axel was instantly set on making the best damn waffles he'd ever made. But just as he had gotten everything out and set it on the small, circular kitchen table, he felt a light tap on his shoulder from behind. Just as he turned around, he barely stifled a gasp as warm arms wrapped around his waist, and equally warm lips suddenly pressed against his in a sweet, chaste kiss.

Axel was reeling, his eyes both dreamy and shocked at the same time as Roxas pulled away. Words couldn't describe how strange that was, or how wonderful...

"What was that for?"

The blond smiled mischievously back at him widely and simply pointed up. Raising his head to see, Axel laughed at the hurriedly tacked mistletoe on the ceiling above them. How could he have forgotten such a simple holiday tradition?

"That," Roxas said, before leaning close and placing another soft kiss on his cheek, "And the nicest Christmas I've had in a long time. Thank you, Santa."


End file.
